My SB-200 is wired for 120 and HV reads 2400 no load, not keyed and 2200 keyed up and putting out 600 watts CW.  No mods, Ameritron ARB-704 keying interface.  Amp is on it's own circuit  Hope this helps, don't know what value is acceptable.  It's a fine old amp and does a nice job for not a lot of $$$.
KC9JCH

My FT-2000 is hooked up to the computer and runs HRD.  Ham Radio Deluxe is soon transitioning from freeware/shareware to paid product status and I suspect some changes will be made in the HRD suite.  You can connect the FT-2000 to a computer in any number of ways, it really depends on what you want to do.  I have a fondness for Mac computers.  That could be the subject of a whole othe debate, but my iMac is set up with VMWare and I have windows XP and Ubuntu linux installed as virtual machines on the Mac.  When I want to run HRD, I boot up XP, start HRD and run the rig.  I use two USB to serial port converters.  One is to run the rigblaster for digital modes and one is to run the CAT control for the rig itself.  With HRD and two monitors, I can have full rig control on one monitor and look at eHam or QRZ on the other.  What is it you are wanting to do?  Digital modes?  Just have the radio look like SDR on a computer monitor?  Lots of stuff available and the FT-2000 is pretty computer friendly for hook up and control.

Tom,
The schematic for the AL-1200 shows three relays.  One for input, one for output and one to the meter board.  Once I talk to the Ameritron folks, I'll open it up and see if anything obvious jumps out at me.  Just out of curiosity (and because the 3CX1200A7 tube is made from unobtainium), what would be the symptom of a tube failure?  This amp is old, I bought second (or third or fourth) hand, and although I tune carefully and never drive hard (grid current of 200 or less, always!), I don't know what the previous owners were like.  When I bought this thing, I paid considerably less than what a new tube costs from RF Parts today, and in part, bought this model because the 3CX1200A7 tube could handle the abuse an "inexperienced" ham could give it.  Seems like it has to be a relay as it just doesn't key, doesn't click/clunk when I attempt to key and shows normal HV.  I will also attempt to contact Yaesu on Monday and see what the default keying delay is, but on SSB would the rf level not be at or near zero until a modulated signal was present?  Just trying to understand the problem a little better.
Tim

Tom,
Seems there is more than one setting for CW, none for SSB.  CW shape gives a rise time of 1/2/4/6 msec and defaults to 4 msec.  QSK time (which I think is the one at play here, the manual defines as "time delay between when the PTT is keyed and carrier is transmitted")  Has available 15/20/25/30 msec with default of 15 msec.  There is no specific menu item that defines keying delay on SSB, And I cannot find anywhere in the manual where the delay is defined.  Sorry this seems disjointed... big halloween party last night, wicked hangover this morning.   Need coffee
Thanks,

K8AXW,
High SWR into a dummy as well.
W8JI,
Will check the menu on the FT-2000, but if this is the case, the relay is toast, right?  Are these something I could potentially repair?  Clean?  I did send an email to Ameritron earlier and will call them Moday.
Tim

update:
I have a Heath SB-200 that I used before I got the AL-1200.  I hooked it up and it keys fine with the same jumpers/cables etc.  I have one of the ARB-704 keying interface in line from when the heath was the only amp and just left it in line when I set up the ameritron.  So now I know it isn't the exciter, coax or jumpers.  My original theory that it is the keying relay in the amp still seems a good bet.  Anybody know if this is a user serviceable part?  Can it be opened up/inspected/cleaned etc? And how should I go about determining if this is the failure?
thnx

Exciter alone loads into the antenna system/tuner with the amp off or with the standby engaged, only get high SWR when trying to key the amp.  I don't know how to key the amp manually, ground the keying line from the rig?

Working CQ contest this morning, station is an FT-2000 driving an AL-1200 through a palstar AT4K tuner to a hex beam.  I only use the tuner on 10m as the band is much broader than my antenna.  Was running about 800 watts out on 10m just to try and get through pileups and my amp cut out.  HV reads fine but when I try to key it up, I get high SWR on all bands from the exciter.  Was running very close to 1:1 SWR when this happened, had the headphones on, so don't know if it made any funny noises, but no smoke, no smell!  I checked the two fuses on the back panel, are OK.  I doesn't make that satisfying clunk of the relay closing when I key it up now.  I suspect the keying relay is the culprit.  The manual from Ameritron stinks and tech support not available on Saturday.  Any suggestions as to how to troubleshoot?
Tim

My hex has been up for two northern Wisconsin winters.  I am about 60 miles south of lake Superior.  Mine is mounted on a fifty foot military surplus mast with a TV tenna rotor.  Almost all parts were purchased from DX Engineering.  Shhot me an e mail, my call@arrl.net.  Great little antenna, would highly recommend.
Kc9jch
Tim

I have an '08 Wrangler.  The best place I found to mount an antenna was on top of the third brake light over the spare.  There is no metal here for an adequate groung plane so I used a half wave from Diamond and fabricated an NMO mount that is basically a right angle of mild steel with three small holes to screw it to the back of the third brake light and a large hole on the other end to accept an NMO mount.  The half wave is basically 19" then a coil, then another 19" of antenna.  The thing sticks up about two feet above the roofline and does get banged around a bit on trails, but so far hasn't come loose and is fine for repeaters to 40 or so miles and simplex for probably ten.  I have photos of the mount I made on my home computer if you would be interested in seeing, e-mail my call at ARRL.net.
Tim

KB9CRY asked
"You have your dummy load on a switch after the amp, right?"
Not exactly is the answer.  I have a Palstar antenna tuner between the amp and feedlines, the bypass position on the tuner goes to the dummy load.  I bought the tuner a couple of years ago when I was using mainly non resonant antennas.  I had used a long doublet fed with twinlead for some time and had tried to get a horizontal loop to work (with poor results) so the tuner was an absolute necessity.  I have since built a 5 band hex beam and hung dipoles for 40 and 80m, so the tuner is really only used to clean up the swr at band edges.  Most of the time I just put the tuner switch to the direct setting and skip the tuner as the SWR is low enough to not cause problems except on 75/80m where my dipole is cut for the phone end of the band.  None of this is new, though.  The part I wasn't sure about was tuning a tube final exciter into an amp, which I had not done before.  The FT-102 is new to me, great old rig, sounds spectacular.  The only problem I may have is that it will easily overdrive the amp as it puts out 175 to 180 watts, So I'll have to leave the tuner in line as it functions as my watt meter and tune the rig up then dial back the drive to something the SB-200 will digest.  I think I'll give this all a shot after this weekend's craziness is over and things are quiet again.  Thanks all for the advice.
Tim
Good luck in the contest!

Thanks,
I agree with the "real world" considerations.  Easy to use the dummy first to get as close as possible then switch.  I can see an endless cycle of tuning the amp then the rig then re tuning the amp...
Now I've got to rig a relay to handle the swithcing voltage of the SB-200...
Tim

If I have a rig with tube finals (FT-102) and a tube amp (SB-200), what is the proper tune up sequence?  Tune rig into dummy load then turn on amp and load amp once the rig is tuned?  All of my antennas are "close enough" to resonant that no external matching network is needed with either this radio or this amp, the one possible exception being 75/80m where my dipole is cut for the phone end of the band.
Thanks,
Tim

Here's one idea...
http://members.cox.net/onstar/
Use the gps functionality of the OnStar unit to run APRS without a second GPS.  Tells you how to get NMEA out for your APRS radio.
Tim

Don't let these guys dissuade you.  I ride many, many miles each summer in a flatwater kayak (15 1/2 foot rotomolded Easky).  I can't usually hit local repeaters with certainty using the rubber duck on my HT, and there is little or no cell coverage in far northern wisconsin.  Frequently, the HT is my only communication with the real world.  I also use a VX-7R, love it, really is waterproof, have dunked it enough times to say so with certainty.  I put a half wave "ground independant" antenna on my boat with a plain old NMO mount through a hole in the rear of the boat.  It is far enough away that even if I were to roll (rare), it couldn't hit me.  The think works fantastic, much better than the duckie and no ground plane required.  Can send photos if you'd like, but really simple install, think the antenna is made by Diamond.
Tim